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Posts Tagged ‘Martha Stewart’

GROWN-UP GRILLED CHEESE

Posted in Everyday Food, Marthaspeak, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on October 19, 2010| 4 Comments »

Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich

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Tasty Tidbits Tuesday

I just went for my annual check up and had what I already knew to be resoundingly confirmed: my cholesterol level is high.  Actually much higher than it should be.  It has been for over a year and every six months I tell my internist that I’m going to change my diet and bring it down.  So last year I brought it down but not low enough. Now it’s even higher soooooo….. it looks like medication is the only route left to take.  Therefore, I thought I would post a couple of great recipes for salmon and cod.  And maybe I will BUT not today after all. It’s Fall and time to start thinking about warm, cozy food and as I was leafing through Martha Stewart‘s LIVING (October) I came across this yummlicious recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich – grown-up style!

Think of this iconic sandwich as a blank canvas for those leftovers in your refrigerator; a heel of cheese, arugula, a piece of two of prosciutto and a final spoonful of jam or harissa (THIS does NOT sound like my fridge!)

Cheddar, Gruyère, and Fontina are all fine melting cheeses that offer an adult layer of complexity, nuttiness, and sharpness.  Swap in sourdough, or rye bread and the sandwich gets even more interesting – yet stays quite simple.  Martha suggests 9 variations:

  1. Gruyère, Apple, and Sage on Rye
  2. Gruyère, Red Onion, Prosciutto, and Pepper on Rye
  3. Fontina, Harissa, and Pear on Rye
  4. Cheddar, Dijon Mustard, Bacon, Tomatoes, Avocado and Pepper on Sourdough
  5. Cheddar, Jalapeno, and Cilantro onWhite
  6. Gruyère, Oil-Packed Sardines, Peppedew Peppers and Arugula on Rye.
  7. Cheddar, Cherry Preserves, and Basil on White
  8. Fontina, Oil-Packed Tuna, and Relish on White
  9. Cheddar, Bacon, and Pickles on Sourdough

Butter (room temperature) the inside and outside of both slices of bread, making sure to cover the surfaces.  Preheat a well-seasoned cast iron pan over MEDIUM heat.  Add the assembled sandwich.  Once the cheese starts to melt and the bread on the bottom is golden brown, flip the sandwich.(Avoid pressing with spatula, the goal is a fluffy sandwich, not a panino.)  Grill until cheese has fully melted and the other side is golden brown.

Mustard spread on the inside complements most cheeses.  Fruit preserves make a sweet and sometimes tart foil to savory cheeses.


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Impromptu Dinner for 5 on Friday

Posted in Everyday Food, Marthaspeak, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 11, 2010| 5 Comments »

You know the thing about Costco is the darn size of everything!  You go to buy a can of Comet but if you want one, you need to buy a 3-pack.  Need some chicken broth? You have to buy 6 cartons, and the Salsa comes in giant jars, like the pickles and the olive oil.  Big is better, things are cheaper by the dozen, large economy size means economy BUT where oh where to put/store/stash this stuff,  I mean my bargains!

And the samples!!!! Perfect way to get suckered in.  We now have Madras lentils, Pot Stickers, Spinach Ravioli, Stacey’s Pita Chips and a GIANT Chicken Pot Pie!! Every trip home from Costco entails emptying the freezer and re-arranging the huge bags of Broccoli Flowerets, Tortellini, Chicken Breasts, Salmon Burgers, Blueberries and after all that shuffling and stuffing and pushing and squeezing, there is NO ROOM for the Chicken Pot Pie.  Not even sure what possessed me to buy it in the first place since it could clearly feed 8 people and our table only seats 5.   By the way, I can never get ALL the frozen food in our freezer at the shore and half of it is going back to New York with us – BUT how to keep it frozen till we are on our way home?

Luckily for me, we are friends with Dick and Jane (yes those are their real names), who own an Inn in Ocean Grove and she lets me store my Manhattan-bound food stuffs in a freezer in the Tea Room.  So last weekend I loaded up her freezer with bags of frozen food to take to New York and when I went to retrieve it I realized that NOT ONLY could I NOT fit the pot pie in my freezer bag and if I got it home, it wouldn’t fit in my apartment freezer either.  Good  thing Jane let me leave it there!!

Obviously the pie was way too big for Peter and I so when in doubt or in trouble, think What Would Martha Do? So, I invited friends for dinner.  I had already asked Heide to dine with us on Friday night and so I asked Dick and Jane to join us too.  Heide graciously asked what could she bring and I said without a moment’s hesitation, “your plum tart”. Jane said she would bring wine and the dinner menu was taking shape.

Chicken Pot Pie seemed Southern to me and even though I know it isn’t particulary Southern anymore than it is exclusively Irish or New England fare, tonight it was going to be Southern.  I decided to make Collard Greens – never have made them before BUT Wegman’s to the rescue.  I had a brochure from the store that I had saved from last year all about braising greens.  Seemed simple enough and it was.  The Collard Greens would satisfy Peter’s insistence of a green vegetable at dinner and I thought a salad would be refreshing but then I remembered that Dick really can’t eat a lot of greens so I set out to buy a head of cauliflower to bake.  Inspiration was running high so I decided to bake some drop biscuits too – love those Bisquick biscuits.

BAKED WHOLE CAULIFLOWER

1 head of Cauliflower                                                                        Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup margarine melted

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp salt

pinch of dried oregano

pinch of red pepper flakes

Place whole head in steamer in 1″ water. Bring to boil over med heat and cook till tender about 20 minutes.

Mix bread crumbs, margarine, cheese.  Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper and oregano.  Put cauliflower in baking dish and coat with bread crumb mixture.

Bake 10-15 minutes till golden brown.

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Every Day Food.

COLLARD GREENS

Add 6 cups of water, 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice, 6 cloves of garlic (or 2 Tbsp minced), 1 Tbsp salt, 1/2 cup pure olive oil to braising pan on HIGH.

Add greens and bring to a boil and cover.

Cook until tender – Greens will change color as they cook (depending on the greens) 5-30 minutes.

Transfer to serving dish, season to taste and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Recipe from Wegman’s

 

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Martha Stewart’s Stove-Top Clambake

Posted in Everyday Food, Marthaspeak, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 17, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Littleneck clams, small hard clams, species Me...

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Tasty Tidbits Tuesday

Adding the ingredients in the right order is the secret to this recipe’s success; the ones that take longest go in first.  The optional layer of seaweed (available from most fishmongers) imparts a salty ocean essence and keeps the potatoes off the bottom of the pan.

2 large or 3 medium onions cut into large wedges

6 garlic cloves

1 bottle pale ale or medium-bodied beer

1 cup water

Fresh seaweed, well-rinsed, for layering (optional)

1 1/2 pounds small new potatoes (white, red or a combination)

1 pound hot dried  chorizo, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Coarse salt

3 lobsters ( 1 1/2 pounds each)

36 littleneck clams, scrubbed well

4 ears of corn, husked and halved

2 pounds of mussels, debearded and scrubbed well

1 1/2 pounds shrimp (about 30), shell on

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional

2 lemons, halved

Combine onions, garlic, pale ale, and water in a 16-quart stockpot. Cover with a layer of seaweed (or place a steamer basket on top of the onions).  Add potatoes, chorizo, and 1 tablespoon salt.  Bring to a boil.  Add lobsters; cook over high heat, covered, for 15 minutes.  Add  clams and corn; cook, covered, for 6 minutes.  Add mussels and shrimp; cook covered, until clams and mussels open and shrimp are cooked through, 4-8 minutes.

Remove seafood, corn, potatoes, and chorzio using tongs, and transfer to large platters or rimmed baking sheets.  Discard seaweed and and any unopened clams and mussels.  Strain liquid through a sieve into a bowl; add butter, swirling to melt.  Squeeze lemons over clambake.

You’ll need a large, sturdy pot to hold everything.


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Pappardelle with Caramelized Onions and Parmesan

Posted in Marthaspeak, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, We Called It Macaroni (Pasta recipes), tagged , , , on March 24, 2010| 2 Comments »

Pappardelle with Caramelized Onions and Parmesan.

Tonight’s dinner except I used Farfalle-it was DELICIOUS!! I want to make it sometime for guests because it is pasta BUT not your ordinary pasta and sauce dish or as we knew it in my house growing up – macaroni and gravy.  And just because Mr. P insists that I don’t give him enough vegetables, we had escarole too.  Even if pride cometh before the fall, I have to say this meal was totally great. And YES it is a Martha recipe.  The recipe for caramelized onions and the pappardelle dish came out of Every Day Food.  The escarole recipe came from Wegman’s.

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